Hi all,
As I mentioned on my SCGR Resurrection thread, I have been able to create a fair few customised figures, mostly using Preiser figured as a base. I thought it might be worth posting the actual steps involved, in the hope that it will inspire someone to have a go for themselves. Not the only way of course, and might not even be the best way, but it works for me. Anyway, here it is:
The background to this is, some years ago I needed a driver figure for a 'crane tank' loco. Rather than the LGB bog-standard 'bloke just standing there holding a shovel' or similar, I wanted a driver casually leaning out of the side of the cab, looking out at what was going on up ahead, as it were.
The starting point for this little project was a Preiser figure - one of the G-scale unpainted 'German track-worker' set.
I love Preiser figures for this sort of thing because the moulding detail, especially the faces, is invariably superb.
Here's how he started out...
Let the hacking commence! Nurse, the screens please.... The limbs are cut at the appropriate places (ie joints) and holes drilled to take short lengths of 1mm or 1.5mm copper wire. These act as joints to allow the figure to be posed as we see fit:
OK, let's see how he takes to his new role...
Right, now to fill the gaps with Milliput. As you may already be aware, it's a 2-part epoxy putty that hardens to rock solid after about 24 hours of mixing. It comes in several variants; I like the 'terra cotta' stuff as the colour contrast with white plastic is very useful for those with the visual acuity of a sloth - ie, me:
... and back into position to check that the limbs are positioned where they should be.... (note I have not yet put a hand on the end of the arm, as it is likely to be knocked off during sanding down:
A bit of filing, sanding etc to smooth it all down...
Next, a quick going over with spray primer (I prefer grey, but obviously there are other options here e.g. black, white). This has 2 purposes: to prepare the figure for painting proper, and also to highlight any ragged areas where the sanding or filing was not completely wonderful:
Attach a hand to the visible arm, and a quick photo-opportunity in situ...
I wanted the driver to be wearing some sort of baseball cap type of thing, so I cut the existing hat moulding away. I also added some hitherto-missing 'rolled up sleeve' detail to the right arm, and replaced the moulded waistcoat detail with some more flappy layers. All of this was done with another 2-part epoxy putty, called 'Green Stuff'. This is slightly different to Milliput in that it remains slightly flexible even when cured, so lends itself very much to creating thin layers of clothing without the risk of snapping off:
For a laugh, I thought seeing as he looked a bit too sensible of facial expression, I would make him look a bit more 'manic' by giving him a bit of a handle-bar 'tache, a beard and, just for good measure, a neckerchief:
So, to painting. I deliberately painted the whole body, so that I could have the option to pose the figure against some suitable structure, such as an oil drum or wall or a paint pot...
The excellent detail of the face and hands is enhanced by applying a dark flesh-tone wash; Games Workshop have this sort of thing in abundance.
Finally, our man is out and about doing his job - driving the crane tank:
So that's all there is to it! Why not give it a go?
As I mentioned on my SCGR Resurrection thread, I have been able to create a fair few customised figures, mostly using Preiser figured as a base. I thought it might be worth posting the actual steps involved, in the hope that it will inspire someone to have a go for themselves. Not the only way of course, and might not even be the best way, but it works for me. Anyway, here it is:
The background to this is, some years ago I needed a driver figure for a 'crane tank' loco. Rather than the LGB bog-standard 'bloke just standing there holding a shovel' or similar, I wanted a driver casually leaning out of the side of the cab, looking out at what was going on up ahead, as it were.
The starting point for this little project was a Preiser figure - one of the G-scale unpainted 'German track-worker' set.
I love Preiser figures for this sort of thing because the moulding detail, especially the faces, is invariably superb.
Here's how he started out...
Let the hacking commence! Nurse, the screens please.... The limbs are cut at the appropriate places (ie joints) and holes drilled to take short lengths of 1mm or 1.5mm copper wire. These act as joints to allow the figure to be posed as we see fit:
OK, let's see how he takes to his new role...
Right, now to fill the gaps with Milliput. As you may already be aware, it's a 2-part epoxy putty that hardens to rock solid after about 24 hours of mixing. It comes in several variants; I like the 'terra cotta' stuff as the colour contrast with white plastic is very useful for those with the visual acuity of a sloth - ie, me:
... and back into position to check that the limbs are positioned where they should be.... (note I have not yet put a hand on the end of the arm, as it is likely to be knocked off during sanding down:
A bit of filing, sanding etc to smooth it all down...
Next, a quick going over with spray primer (I prefer grey, but obviously there are other options here e.g. black, white). This has 2 purposes: to prepare the figure for painting proper, and also to highlight any ragged areas where the sanding or filing was not completely wonderful:
Attach a hand to the visible arm, and a quick photo-opportunity in situ...
I wanted the driver to be wearing some sort of baseball cap type of thing, so I cut the existing hat moulding away. I also added some hitherto-missing 'rolled up sleeve' detail to the right arm, and replaced the moulded waistcoat detail with some more flappy layers. All of this was done with another 2-part epoxy putty, called 'Green Stuff'. This is slightly different to Milliput in that it remains slightly flexible even when cured, so lends itself very much to creating thin layers of clothing without the risk of snapping off:
For a laugh, I thought seeing as he looked a bit too sensible of facial expression, I would make him look a bit more 'manic' by giving him a bit of a handle-bar 'tache, a beard and, just for good measure, a neckerchief:
So, to painting. I deliberately painted the whole body, so that I could have the option to pose the figure against some suitable structure, such as an oil drum or wall or a paint pot...
The excellent detail of the face and hands is enhanced by applying a dark flesh-tone wash; Games Workshop have this sort of thing in abundance.
Finally, our man is out and about doing his job - driving the crane tank:
So that's all there is to it! Why not give it a go?
